Here you can start thinking about what you want to do with the rest of your life. This Web site was built to help you plan for the future. What will you do after high school? Will you work? Go to college? Live in a place of your own?
By Jodie Dawson, Psy.D. The ability to self-advocate is important for kids to learn in order to be successful at all stages of their lives. In the past, self-advocacy was a term applied mostly to adults with disabilities, but recently more focus has been placed on teaching this skill to preteens and teenagers.
Youth Organizing! Disabled & Proud is a program of the California Foundation for Independent Living Centers (CFILC). YO! Disabled & Proud connects, organizes and educates youth with disabilities.
Kids As Self Advocates (KASA) is a national, grassroots project created by youth with disabilities for youth. We are teens and young adults with disabilities speaking out. KASA knows youth can make choices and advocate for themselves if they have the information and support they need.
We are leaders in our communities, and we help spread helpful, positive information among our peers to increase knowledge around various issues. We also help health care professionals, policymakers and other adults in our communities understand what it is like to live our lives and we participate in discussions about how to help each other succeed.
Great resources for families, teens, and educators. he MSFN Youth Advisory Board is composed of teens with mental health needs who are interested in developing leadership skills to help improve services and increase understanding of what it means to be a youth with mental illness.
The MSFN Youth Advisory Board Makes a Difference by:
- Reducing the stigma associated with mental health diagnoses
- Educating the public on the issues faced by youth with mental health concerns
- Influencing children’s mental health policy
- Providing peer support
- Teaching teens to be effective self-advocates
Self-advocacy means speaking up for yourself. It requires knowledge of your personal strengths and challenges, understanding of rights as a citizen, and acting in an assertive manner to make your needs known to others. During this self-guided program, you will explore concepts to help you become a better self-advocate and discover your potential.